Fourth Down And Long
by Ghostwriter
Summary: HISB It's football season again and Rita and Zedd scrimmage with the Rangers.
1. Football Season

FOURTH DOWN AND LONG

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Okay, I apologize for my long absence, but I wasn't really sure where I wanted to take this, but now I figured it out. Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. I only own the subplots, the monster, and its powers.

Jason walked through the halls of Angel Grove High, Bulk and Skull on either side of him.

"Yo Tommy, you ready for the game this weekend?" Jason asked, as they approached him.

"Yeah, but it's going to be weird without you guys on the team," Tommy answered. "You remember last season when you and Bulk executed that play during the last game of the season?"

"Yeah, I remember, I fumbled," Bulk grumbled.

"Ah, only a little, but you recovered quite nicely," Jason reminded. Just then, Katherine, Zack, Kimberly, Curtis, Justin, Trini, and Chris walked up.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Jason asked.

"Nothin' much," Zack answered. "Hey, how'd you do in the meet, Kim?"

"Second place," Kimberly replied.

"Aw, man, I'm sorry," Tommy said. She shrugged.

"It's totally casual. Given the fact that I was **preoccupied** during training, I actually did pretty well," she replied. The others nodded in understanding, knowing that she was referring to the battles that they had fought.

"That's the spirit," Zack encouraged, placing a hand on her shoulder. Then, "Hey, I wanna do something special and morphinominal for Angela this weekend, but I'm drawing a blank. Any ideas?"

"What's the occasion?" Katherine wondered.

"Yeah, it's not her birthday yet," Tommy said.

"I know, and that's the point. I wanna do somethin' when she's not expecting it," Zack stated.

"Aw, our little Zacky's growing up," Kimberly teased as Jason reached over to ruffle his friend's short hair. Zack laughed, and playfully elbowed Jason.

"Hey, leave my cousin alone…even if he **is** turning into a sap," Curtis said.

"Sap? I'll show you sap!" Zack exclaimed, making a playful lunge for his cousin. The others laughed as Zack took off after Curtis. Meanwhile, in class, Rocky, Hilary, Adam, Aisha, Richie, Zane, and Billy were in Mr. Wilton's science class working on an assignment.

"Hey Rocky, is it true that your uncle's going to be talking to the football team after school today?" Billy asked.

"Yeah. Mr. Caplan asked if he'd stick around and give a few pointers before the Stone Canyon game," Rocky responded. One of their classmates, Alan, shook his head in disbelief.

"'Uncle Joe'," he repeated. "I can't believe your uncle is Joe Haley," he continued.

"He's the **best** pro quarterback around," Aisha bragged.

"Yeah, I think you're a little biased, 'Ish," Rocky chuckled. Then, "I've always just known him as 'Uncle Joe'. He did a lot for me when I was a kid. Kept me straight."

"Enough chatter, everyone," Mr. Wilton said, halting the conversation. "Let's don those goggles and begin mixing," he continued. The students did as they were told.

"Hey Alan, could you read the equations for me?" Rocky requested. Alan blew out a breath. _I hate reading out loud, but I can do this_, he thought to himself.

"Okay, um, C2, H3 over O2…" As Alan read the formula, Rocky poured in the mixture. To their surprise, the beaker started smoking.

"Don't panic. Let's just exit the room quietly and wait for the smoke to clear," Mr. Wilton instructed, and everyone did as they were told.

"Oh, man, what happened?" Rocky asked as they walked out.

"I don't know, Rocky," Alan replied. What they didn't know was that the whole fiasco had been witnessed by Rita.

"I don't believe this. Those brats can't do a simple chemistry problem, and yet we can't defeat them?" she asked. _What's that about?_ she wondered.

"Oooh, I hate those Rangers. I want them destroyed!" Zedd growled from his position on his throne.

"Well, perhaps we can beat them at their own game, your Majesties," Finster suggested, sparing a quick glance at Zedd. _Yes! Empress' plan is working splendidly_, he thought with pleasure when he saw the monarch slumped in his chair.

"What are you talking about, Finster?" Rita asked.

"Well, as we have noticed, they are once again going on and on about the Earth game that they call football," Finster reminded.

"They'd expect us to use the Rhinoblaster again," Goldar stated.

"Yes, of course. That is why I have come up with a different monster: the Razorback. Like the Rhinoblaster, he is incredibly strong. However, unlike the Rhinoblaster, his bite will immobilize any victim, allowing him to destroy them quickly," Finster replied. _That sounds promising_, Scorpina thought.

"Excellent," Rita approved. "Goldar and Scorpina can go down with a group of Putties, and then we'll surprise them with the Razorback!" she finished with a cackle.

"I'll go put the mold in the Monster-Matic at once, Your Evilness," Finster stated and hurried off to do so.

"They won't know what hit them!" Scorpina grinned. She laughed evilly and leaned into Goldar, whose laughter joined hers.


	2. Mishap And Razorback

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon and that includes any weapons you recognize. I only own the characters you don't recognize, the subplots, the monster, and its powers.

Back at Angel Grove, Jason, Bulk, Skull, Tommy, Katherine, Zack, Kimberly, Justin, Trini, and Chris watched as Mr. Wilton's science class walked out of the room coughing.

"Whoa, what's going on here?" Jason wondered. The three walked over to their fellow students.

"Aisha, are you all right?" Bulk asked in concern as he put a hand on her shoulder. The girl coughed.

"I'm all right," she managed to answer.

"What happened?" Jason asked.

"A little chemistry mishap," Adam answered.

"Okay, everybody. Back inside," Mr. Wilton instructed. Jason, Bulk, and Skull helped him usher the others back inside.

"Should we have them checked out smoke inhalation?" Skull asked.

"We're okay. We got out pretty fast," Rocky assured.

"You sure?" Jason queried.

"Yeah," Alan nodded.

"If you want, I can call Lt. Stone and tell him that I can't make the detail," Bulk told Aisha.

"No, I'm okay. Honest," Aisha said.

"Detail? What detail?" Rocky asked.

"Oh, you didn't know? We've been assigned to guard Rocky's uncle," Bulk replied.

"You guys?" Alan asked in surprise. _Who in their right minds would hire Bulk and Skull?_ he wondered, remembering their penchant for getting into trouble.

"Yeah, us and some other cop from the academy: Tyler something or other," Jason answered.

"Well then, I suggest you all get to it," Mr. Wilton stated. The three walked off and Aisha picked up Alan's notes.

"Alan, are these the notes you used to mix the chemicals?" she queried.

"Yeah," the boy confirmed.

"Billy, can you see where he did anything wrong?" she asked. Billy looked at the notes.

"Well, judging from the resulting explosion and the written formula, I'd say you transposed the elements," he answered.

"You mean it was backwards?" Kimberly translated.

"Precisely," Billy confirmed. "That's what caused the adverse reaction."

"What? Backwards? How'd that happen?" Alan wondered.

"Until you get your grades up, I'm going to suggest to the coach to suspend you from the football team," Mr. Wilton said.

"But Sir! The Stone Canyon game!" Alan protested.

"Wait, Mr. Wilton, what if I helped Alan study?" Rocky suggested.

"Well, if I can see that you're making an extra effort-starting **today**-I won't say anything to the coach," Mr. Wilton relented.

"I understand, Sir. Thank you," Alan said. After school, Alan and Rocky sat at a table in at Ernie's café.

"You know, man, I don't get it. How come somebody as smart as you is having trouble at school?" Rocky wondered.

"Guess I'm just not any good at it," Alan sighed. "Even when I was a little kid, I **hated** reading. I mean, it was like words and numbers were out to trick me." Rocky looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"When I check things I've written down, it's like I'm seeing them upside down and backwards," he answered in frustration.

"You know, Uncle Joe had trouble in school too."

"Your uncle. Oh, man! I bet we missed his talk!"

"Don't worry about it. I bet we can catch him." The two boys started packing up their things.

"Did he really have trouble with school?"

"Boy, did he." They stood up. "Hey, I bet he can tell you where you're going wrong."

"Oh, great! Let's go!" They took off. Out on the football field, Joe Haley had met up with Bulk, Skull, Jason, and another cop.

"So you four have been assigned to guard me?" Joe asked.

"Yes, Sir. I'm Jason. This is Bulk, Skull, and-" Jason began.

"Tyler James Grayson," the fourth boy interrupted. Tyler was 6'0, with chestnut blonde hair and blue eyes. He glanced at Bulk and Skull and rolled his eyes. Really, who was Lt. Stone kidding? Those two were useless. They had barely been able to finish the obstacle course. Especially Bulk. At least Jason was an asset to the Junior Police Patrol…when he wasn't running off for whatever reason. _If I was Lt. Stone, I wouldn't put up with that_, he thought, recalling the few instances that he had heard about. "We're here to protect you and take you back to your hotel room, and I suggest that we get going," he continued. Just then, Rocky and Alan came running. "And I suggest we go now since it looks like you have a couple of crazed fans coming up," he said, taking the man by the arm and trying to lead him off. With an annoyed sigh, Joe yanked out of the grasp.

"If you don't mind, I would like to wait for my nephew," he said.

"Hey Uncle Joe!" Rocky called. Tyler faked a smile as Skull leaned in towards Bulk and Jason.

"This guy's going to get on my nerves," he muttered.

"Uh-huh," the other two agreed with simultaneous nods. Just then, there was fiendish laughter and the group watched as two beings with golden armor and a group of gray creatures materialized.

"Oh, man! Somehow, I **don't** think this is what Lt. Stone had in mind!" Jason exclaimed, as he and Rocky got into defensive stances.

"Attack!" Scorpina screamed and the Putty Patrol advanced on them.

"Come on, Mr. Haley; let's get you back to your hotel room!" Skull said.

"But I can't leave Rocky!" Mr. Haley objected.

"I'll be fine! Just get him out of here!" Rocky insisted as he and Jason dodged blows and let out punches and kicks of their own.

"You heard him, Mr. Haley! Let's get you out of here!" Bulk insisted, as he, Tyler, and Skull pulled the man away. Tyler huffed when he saw that Jason was still fighting the Putties. _I don't believe this. I better tell the Lieutenant that he abandoned us_, he thought. He had really thought that Jason was much more focused than this. Scorpina lashed out with her boomerang and Rocky did a back flip, dodging the incoming blow.

"Did Uncle Joe make it out?" he asked. Jason did a quick check over his shoulder before ducking, barely missing getting hit.

"Yeah, he's safe," came the response. The Red Ranger quickly somersaulted out of the way and then landed on his feet next to Rocky. They looked at each other, each getting a mischievous grins on their faces. Then they clasped hands, letting their power flow into each other.

"Now, then…where were we?" Rocky asked.

"Right about…here!" Jason shouted, flipping Rocky over his shoulder. Goldar and Scorpina each growled as the two Rangers quickly took care of the Putties.

"Now it's our turn!" Scorpina exclaimed, jumping into the air and shooting lasers from her eyes.

"Rocky, watch out!" Rocky grunted as he was pushed out of the way. Jason groaned as the beams hit him. "Okay, that's it! It's morphin' time!"

"Brachio!"

"Tyrannosaurus!" Goldar and Scorpina laughed as the Rangers charged at them, Power Sword and Brachio Staff drawn.

"We're ready, Empress!" Goldar announced. With that, a pig-like monster materialized on the field. The Rangers stared at the monster in surprise.

"What on Earth is **that**!" In the Command Center, the alarm blared as the viewing globe showed the Gold and Red Rangers fighting against Goldar, Scorpina, and the new monster.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! Rita's unleashed the Razorback! And Jason and Rocky are all alone!" Alpha exclaimed.

"Contact the Rangers at once," Zordon instructed. Alpha did so, and one-by-one, the other Rangers answered the summons.

"What's going on, Zordon?" Tommy replied from his spot in the youth center exit.

"Jason and Rocky are on the football field battling Goldar, Scorpina, and Razorback and they need your help," Zordon replied.

"We're on our way," Zack said into his communicator.

"It's morphin' time!" everyone cried from their spots.

"Drago-Tigerzord!"

"Raptor!"

"Drago!"

"Stega!"

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Triceratops!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger!" Immediately, the other Rangers were at the scene. _Whoa, that's some ugly monster_, the Silver Ranger thought to himself. The Rangers pulled out their weapons, jumped through the air, and struck the monster. The Purple Ranger lashed out with her Stega-Winger, only to have the Razorback yank on the weapon and pull the girl close. _No! I won't let him!_ she thought to herself as she began to struggle. She closed her eyes in concentration just as her old Martial Arts instructor had taught her. As if sensing the fight, Razorback tightened his grip on the Stega-Winger and swiftly tied it around her.

"Aisha!" The other Rangers tried to get to their friend, but were intercepted by Scorpina and Goldar and a new group of Putties. The monster bit the Purple Ranger on the arm and she screamed in pain.

"AISHA!" the Gold and Silver Rangers frantically made their way through the Putties.

"Alpha, teleport the Rangers here at once," Zordon instructed. Alpha quickly did so and the Rangers landed in the Command Center.


	3. Wait And Worry

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon and that includes any weapons you recognize. I only own the characters you don't recognize, the subplots, the monster, and its powers. For this fic and future fics, I may once in a while add in some Australian slang, but it's not meant to be offensive or stereotypical. After all, Kat's just moved to the states, so she'd probably be more prone to use terms that are common to her. I got some of the slang terms from ./australian-slang . html. If I have used them incorrectly, I apologize.

On the moon, Rita laughed in delight as Goldar and Scorpina landed in front of her. During the course of the fight, Zedd had gone into his chambers.

"Good work you two. You made those Power Pests run," she approved.

"Yes, but Razorback's immobilization doesn't last very long and the Purple Ranger will soon be back at full strength and they'll return to battle," Goldar reminded.

"And when they do, they'll be destroyed," Rita laughed. When the Rangers landed, Aisha was laid on the Command Center's medical chair.

"Can you move?" Rocky asked anxiously, kneeling down so that he was looking into her eyes. The girl tried to lift an arm to put it on her friend's wrist comfortingly, but was unable to.

"I'm all right. Honest," Aisha insisted. "I just…I can't move my body," she continued.

"The bite punctured the suit. I think Alpha should take a look at you," Adam told her.

"I agree," Jason said. Immediately, Alpha began the scan. A few seconds later, the scanner began beeping.

"Other than being unable to move, Aisha is perfectly fine," he reported.

"Zordon, is she going to be all right in the long run? I mean, will this have any effect on her?" Katherine asked.

"It is too soon to tell. It has been several centuries since the Razorback was used and I don't recall how long the immobilization from the bite lasts," Zordon answered.

"And in the meantime, we have no idea how to help Aisha," Jason stated, hitting the panel in frustration. _Wow. He's spit the dummy_, Katherine thought.

"Easy, Rexy," Tommy said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I can't take it easy! I mean, look at what that thing did to her!" Jason pointed out. _Man, I'm the leader, I should've done something to stop it_, he thought to himself.

"Wow. He's as mad as a cut snake," Katherine murmured. Hearing the phrase, Kimberly, and Zack looked at her in confusion. _What does that mean?_ Kimberly wondered.

"Jason, you must calm yourself. Your anger is what Rita and Zedd are counting on," Zordon stated.

"Hey, maybe there's something I can do: take the venom or whatever by pulling it out of her," Adam offered.

"No! Absolutely not! That's too dangerous!" Aisha protested, starting to sit up. Jason began pushing her back down, but stopped when he realized what was happening. _Oh, thank goodness. The effects aren't that long_, he thought.

"Hey! She's moving again!" Billy exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Zack cheered as Aisha began to stand.

"Slowly," Jason cautioned

"Whoa. That was a weird feeling," Aisha commented.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Rocky asked in concern.

"I'm feeling fine. I just want to get this thing," Aisha answered.

"I hear that," the other Rangers agreed.

"But how do we stop it without ending up like Aisha?" Katherine wondered.

"Yeah, I'm not an expert on 'em, but from what I can recall, they don't have any weaknesses," Rocky answered.

"But they **are** hunted, and if a gun can hurt it, I'm sure a bow can too," Jason stated meaningfully.

"You think you can hit it with your Power Bow?" Adam asked.

"Not a problem. I'll show that mangy thing what happens when you mess with one of my friends," Kimberly responded. Meanwhile, while this was going on, as they all sat in Joe Haley's dressing room, Tyler had told Lt. Stone about Jason's actions.

"He was really irresponsible Sir. He never should've left the assignment," the man finished. Lt. Stone faked a smile. _Really? He thinks that's going to win him points with me? It's not Jason's fault that he had to go take care of a monster_, he thought to himself.

"Thank you, Mr. Grayson," was all the older officer said.

"**Definitely** going to get on my nerves," Skull whispered to Bulk, who nodded in agreement.

"I just hope Rocky's okay. That griffin monster looked really nasty," Mr. Haley stated.

"I'm sure he's okay. The Power Rangers probably showed up shortly after those monsters arrived," Bulk assured. Mr. Haley smiled at the boy gratefully, but still wasn't convinced. _He was still fighting those clay creatures when we left. What if he got hurt?_ he wondered. Seeing the man's look of uncertainly, Skull put a hand on his wrist.

"Mr. Haley, I can speak with complete confidence when I say Rocky's just fine," he assured. While this was going on, the Rangers had appeared on the football field once more and were moving into position so that the Pink Ranger could make her shot. The other Rangers got into two pyramids as the Pink Ranger jumped into the air and fired her Power Bow. Razorback yelled in pain as it fell to the ground.

"He's not finished yet! Magic Wand, make my monster grow!" The wand landed on the field, and Razorback was enveloped in a strange cloud. The Rangers watched in horror as it instantly grew.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Australian slang

Spit the dummy: get very upset at something.

Cut snake, mad as a: very angry


	4. Figured Out

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon and that includes any weapons you recognize. I only own the characters you don't recognize, the subplots, the monster, and its powers.

"We need Thunderzord Power now!"

"Drago-Tigerzord!"

"Raptor Thunderzord Power!"

"Mastodon-Lion Thunderzord Power!"

"Pterodactyl-Firebird Thunderzord Power!"

"Drago Thunderzord Power!"

"Stega Thunderzord Power!"

"Brachio Thunderzord Power!"

"Triceratops-Unicorn Thunderzord Power!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger-Griffin Thunderzord Power!"

"Tyrannosaurus-Red Dragon Thunderzord Power!" As soon as the zords appeared, the Rangers jumped into the machines.

"Rangers, combine!" Immediately, they put in the command and the zords came together. Razorback roared and lashed out with a punch. The Rangers retaliated with a kick. With another roar, Razorback charged at them. Then, he opened his mouth and chomped on the zord's arm. Sparks flew as the Rangers struggled to free themselves from the hold.

"I've had enough of this creep!" the Red Ranger exclaimed, and with that, he had the zord unsheathe the Thunder saber. Razorback yelled in pained surprise as the zord shook him off and then slammed the sword on his snout. The monster yelled in pain. It charged at the Rangers. Electricity crackled from the Saber as the zord reared back an arm. Then, it struck. Razorback gave out a final roar before it fell to the ground and exploded.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Rita shrieked. She growled. "I'VE GOT SUCH A HEADAAAAAAAAAACHE!" In his chambers, Zedd groaned. _There's something wrong. I have been growing steadily weaker, and I must find out why_, he thought to himself. His eyes shone with determination. He **would** find out what happening to him, and then put a stop to it. Several minutes later, the Rangers except for Rocky and their friends except for Bulk and Skull were gathered at two tables that had been pushed together.

"I'm glad we were able to stop that Razorback before it got a chance to do **too** much damage," Jason said quietly.

"Boy, I'll say," Aisha agreed. "It was really weird when I couldn't move," she continued with a slight shudder.

"I noticed you were pretty angry," Katherine commented, turning to Jason.

"Sorry if I scared you," Jason apologized sheepishly. _Man, that's the last thing I wanted to. I've just never been good at being helpless_, he thought.

"You didn't scare me," she assured.

"Oh, hey. That reminds me, what did that phrase mean?" Kimberly queried.

"Phrase?" Katherine echoed. _What's she talking about?_ she wondered.

"You said that Jason was mad as a cut snake," Kimberly answered.

"Oh, it means he was very angry. I guess it just slipped out," Katherine answered. Just then, Rocky, Mr. Haley, and Alan ran up to them.

"Guess what? Alan doesn't have to quit the team!" Rocky said happily.

"Hey, that's awesome," Tommy said, slapping the boy five. "So, what happened?" he asked.

"I told Mr. Haley about my problems in school and he did the rest," Alan answered as Lt. Stone, Bulk, Skull, and Tyler entered the café.

"Problem? What problem?" Bulk asked.

"What's going on?" Skull added.

"I had a slight academic problem," Alan answered.

"Which sounded a lot like mine, so I took him to the school's resource center to be tested," Mr. Haley answered.

"Turns out I have dyslexia," Alan answered.

"What's that?" Skull asked.

"A learning disability in which numbers and letters get turned around, especially when the person is under stress," Billy explained.

"Well, the center said that a lot of people have it," Alan continued.

"I have it as well, which is how I recognized what Alan was talking about," Mr. Haley told them. "Unfortunately, it's not always recognized," he continued.

"But now that we know what's going on, Mr. Wilton said there are ways he can help me and my grades will improve," Alan added.

"All right," the others said. Then, Mr. Haley turned to the officers.

"Lt. Stone, I'd really like to thank you for sending such competent officers to guard me,"

"It was my pleasure," Lt. Stone answered.

"Uh, Mr. Haley, now that the assignment's over, would you mind giving us an autograph?" Bulk queried.

"Not at all," Mr. Haley answered, and the two officers each pulled out a piece of paper and handed them to the man.

"Wow. I guess the assignment went well," Katherine commented as Ernie came out to take orders from some of the customers.

"Yes. You can definitely say that," Tyler responded, turning to the girl. _Whoa! She is hot!_ he thought to himself. "Hi. I'm Tyler," he introduced himself.

"Katherine," she stated, giving a polite smile.

"Nice to meet you, Katherine," he said, holding out his hand.

"Likewise," Katherine said, keeping up the polite smile as she took his hand and gave a polite shake. However, it soon became clear that Tyler wasn't going to release her hand any time soon. The smile became strained and Katherine quickly pulled her hand away.

"I'll be seeing you again soon," he stated and then walked away.

"Wow," Kimberly said with a short, disbelieving laugh. _I haven't seen anyone be that forward since Skull stopped hitting on me_, she thought to herself.

"He's a rather forward bloke, isn't he?" Katherine asked.

"I'll say," Rocky agreed.

"That's **definitely** going to get on my nerves," Katherine declared and everyone laughed.

THE END


End file.
